


Special Delivery

by dearsam



Series: Secretly Yours [1]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Comfort, Cuddling, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Garcia needs some attention, Hotch has a secret crush on Garcia, Pining Hotch, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-03-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 04:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3556034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearsam/pseuds/dearsam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A particularly difficult case left Garcia in need for comfort, and Hotch wanting to deliver it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Special Delivery

_Special Delivery_

 

Hotch knew the second he stepped back into the bullpen, making his way up to his office to put his bag down, that something was off. Everyone else had gone straight home –it was 11.04 pm after all, and he had told them to get as much sleep as they could- but the door to his office was open and he could see a plate with cookies on his desk. Garcia had taken to baking for them whenever a case left her feeling especially upset. He sighed. When they were out in the field, it was almost impossible to make sure she was alright. She was too good at reassuring them, and when they got back, often as late as they had tonight, everyone just wanted to get home to some cuddles with the family or at least a warm bed.   
It wasn’t like Garcia had ever complained about them not paying enough attention to her. Not at all. As a matter of fact, Hotch was pretty sure that she didn’t even think of it like that. But he did. Sometimes, when she was still around when they got back, he caught her in her office, staring at some gruesome picture or another, looking as if she was carrying everyone’s burden on her shoulders. And in a way she was, because it was Penelope Garcia they were talking about. She was too empathic; caring about everyone around her more than herself.

Aaron Hotchner was no Derek Morgan. He wasn’t one for witty remarks, and he certainly wasn’t a good flirt. But he cared. God, did he ever care. Without wasting another thought on it, he grabbed the tray Garcia had left for the team and left. The report would have to wait until he could be sure that their technical analyst was alright. 

_Knock knock knock_. It was almost midnight, he reminded himself. There was every chance that she was asleep. Thinking back to the case, he shook his head. No, actually that was nonsense. All of their cases were bad in one way or another, of course they were, but this one had been worse than his worst nightmares. Cases involving kids always got to him for obvious reasons, but this one… The whole team had struggled through the six days it had taken them to find the three men who ran the trafficking ring. He pushed the thoughts aside when he heard movement from behind the door. “Garcia… Penelope, it’s me, Hotch.” Just a second later the door was opened for him.   
  
His heart clenched uncomfortably at the sight before him. Penelope looked pale, her eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying. And despite it all, or more likely because of it, she let out a long, shuddery breath and nodded at the plate he was still holding with a half-hearted smile. “Did I accidentally put salt in them?” Hotch chuckled fondly. “I thought you might need them more than we do. Along with some company. And it seems that I was right. May I?”

He was glad when she let him in. Walking over, he set the plate down on a small coffee table before he turned back around. “Oh, Penelope.” It was absolutely heartbreaking to see her standing by the door, unmoving, looking so very lost. “Penelope, we got them. They’re going away for a long time, and the kids are going back home.” He rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. But despite his reassuring words, her bottom lip began to quiver just a moment later, and Hotch knew that he wouldn’t be able to forget the look of sheer devastation on her face. He turned to face her more fully, leaving one hand on her arm while he waited for her to move forward. It only took her a few moments until she let out a strangled noise and leaned her forehead against Aaron’s chest. His arms curled around her shoulders easily.

Comforting the others always had the potential of turning into an awkward situation, but Penelope was always so open and honest with her emotions after a long day. He steered her towards her sofa gently and settled her down, wrapping a blanket around her. “I can’t get the pictures out of my head,” Garcia suddenly blurted out. “With all the other cases I always can. I can always go home afterwards and watch a movie, or knit a scarf, or cook something for my neighbours.” Hotch sat down next to her and pulled her against his side without interrupting her. Of course she would cook for her neighbours when _she_ was in need of comfort. “And it sometimes takes a few hours, but I always manage to have a mind full of puppies in time for bed, but I couldn’t do it tonight, and I didn’t want to go to bed thinking of all those little boys and how…” Hotch ran his knuckles over her cheek in order to distract her and was relieved when he succeeded. “I understand. I sometimes need to cuddle with Jack for hours before I can settle down.”

Penelope leaned her head against his shoulder and he tried not to notice how it natural it felt for him to keep his arm around her waist like that, his thumb running over her side in slow, comforting circles. She settled against him more comfortably and babbled on, telling him how hard it had been for her to be separated from the team during this case, how she had had to take breaks just so she could lock herself into the bathroom to cry, and then the combination of joy and sadness when they had found the UnSubs. There was a note of profound desperation in her voice as she wondered how many other victims there were that they would never know about. Aaron tightened his hold on her for a moment, reminding her that they couldn’t let themselves go down that road. Her rambling took on a lighter note after that, and after a little while he heard a first soft chuckle from her. Her speech began to slow when she told him about her favourite cupcake recipes, and why baking helped her to relax like nothing else did. Aaron only looked down when her head dropped heavily onto his shoulders, but he didn’t move for another few minutes. Eventually, he sat up and, taking care not to wake Penelope, put her down on the couch in a more comfortable position. Grabbing the blanket, he tucked her in and smoothed one hand over her hair.   
  
His eyes took in every little detail of her now slack features. Even now, with concern and misery still etched deeply into her expression, she looked beautiful. This evening wasn’t about this crush he had been developing, but he didn’t deny himself a moment of pure indulgence now that she was fast asleep. Chiding himself, he finally got to his feet. A slow smile moved across his features when Garcia let out a soft whimper as soon as he stepped back. “I’ll just be in the kitchen, Penelope. Go back to sleep.” Even so, he stayed another moment or two, fingers running over her cheek until her breathing became even once more. He was threading on very thin ice here indeed. For Christ’s sake, he had no way of knowing if this was about anything except her gratitude for his being here on her part. Discarding the thought, Hotch began to move through her small kitchen as he prepared a small tray for her. Nothing special, just a glass of juice and a sandwich for later. Something told him that she hadn’t eaten in a while.

By the time he came back, Penelope was snoring softly. He put the tray down on the coffee table and added a few of her cookies. After a case like their last, one was allowed to have cookies for breakfast. After he had written her a short note, telling her to call if she needed anything, Hotch knelt next to the couch for another minute. Finally he cursed himself softly, leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Garcia’s forehead. He really needed to leave now. It was way past midnight, and she was doing fine now. It took another minute or two until he finally managed to pull himself back. He had indulged himself enough; far more than he should have, to be honest. He stopped at the door and looked around once more. Well, if nothing else would come out of this, he had the memory of Penelope holding onto him for dear life.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading. I am planning to turn this into a little series, to indulge my new-found Hotch/Garcia obsession, so don't stray too far... :)


End file.
